Gate-fastener.



T. WADLEIGH.

GATE FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED PBB.11,1911.

1,036,040. Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

' accomplish UNITED STATES THEODORE. W'ADIZEIGH, "0F KNIERIMfIO'WK.

GA'BE-FASTEN'EBIF Application filed lebruaryt Specification of LettersPatent.-

Patente'd Aug.,20;1912."

11,1911. semlmmeomoan.

To all whom it may concern Be-it known that I, THEODORE of the town ofKnierim, countyand State of -Io'.-wa', have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in GaterFas-- tenors-,wvhich improvements aredescribed in the following specification and 'aretrated bytheaccompanying-drawings.

In connection with wire mon in: some parts of this gates which are-informed of flexible wires, either barbed smooth or woven,

gether by separate: crosspieces, or stays.

My invention relates in general to fasten-= ers for-gates of this kind,and. into means for attaching tho-free end-of such a gate totin-adjacent post of-thegatewaya The -objects=of theiinventlionare torender such a fastener'convenient and easy .to-be applied and to beoperated by hand,--as \wellas safe and notliablmto-be rubbed-loosebycattle: to render the fastener adjustableiion the purpose of taking upslack andofregulatingthe gate. tension-:5 under longitudinal tension,approximately equal to that of the wire fence with which it may be used;and in general ,to produoea superior fastener for gates of this kind. Tothese ob ects I incorporate in my improved gate fastener a bent lever,which is fulcrumed onta pivot at the side of the gateway, and a bail,which engages the free end of the gate and is pivotedtorthe short arm ofthe bent lever.

The best manner in which I have contemplated applying the principles ofthe invention, is shown in said drawings; yet I wish it understood thatthe invention is not limited to any specific construction or arrangementof parts, except in so far as limitations of that kind are specified inthe subjoined claims.

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved gate fastener, mounted on agate post, and holding the gate shut. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.Fig. 3 is an elevation and section on the section line in Fig. 1. Fig. 4is a side elevation of the same fastener mounted on the gateway post ina position of complete disengagement from the gate. Fig. 5 is a detail.

One of the side posts of a gateway is denoted 1n The gate through acommon wire fence, the drawings by the numeral 1.

comprises a number of upright, Wooden stays dvaonnion, of Calhoun;

illus-= fences, it is comm country to use." a sense collapsiblebemgwhich are connected to particular to placethe gate i;andthc-honizontnlnwires'7, which are: sep'; arately fastened to thosestays: Thisgate' .1 post-is sPDOVltlfldavIiQfil tllB. ground owitlrra iWire'loop '10, intomvhioh itheflfoot ot :the end: stay 3 is set as\inFilgui, aszoften asthe atet is closed-mud out ,ofiwvhinh thatstayl is-li ,ted: byha'nd :ISOfiflhfiS ttheigate'is iopenedi This loop "ispneferaiblyvadjustable in length; be- 1g. ginsorted a variable distancethrough; then l .23. and: throughn wire=holes in "the so. racket 22,which is yfastened to theback side i the post Lies-shown in Figr-t.Thelgate iastener comprises; the bifiimcated bent levers 2 and theibai-t11, iwhichiare'pivoted to=the- 7 top of thegate-postman to -eaoh-,-other-byvthe bolt 13. This lever, whiohris of thebelh drank type -comprisesia single long arm, or Randimwvh-ichisidenoted by thesame: nu oral 12,and. a pair of duplioate-shortvarmsi (nwhich are united with each otherby -a dross connection-20. and .form' with the long; arm 12: amangleof-oabout ninety degrees no -of.:these= deflected shortarms-1th is;

nited immediately with the long: arm J21; so 0th: I of them-areperforated bynthewpiyotm tiles-18.; which register impairsaand o na intute bearings for the alining inturnedaendo 9 ofnthe bail-11y Theelasticity of-thislbaili, hioh is preferablly formed-oi steeh perinits-gz ts: pivotal ends; 19; to beoreadily" shafted-(by hand from pair topair of these bearings, as may. be required, and. retains thesame inthan bearings into which they are sprung. The blbckt21 is fastened tothe side of the post.- 1 to stop the long arm 12 in its verticalposition. and to guard the same from being rubbed and moved by cattle.

In operation the loop 10 is adjusted in length, as often as may benecessary, by being untwisted from the bracket 22, by then being slippedendwise by hand under its retaining staples 23, which'are temporarilyloosened for the occasion, and by then being twisted through thebracket, as shown in Fig. 5. To fasten the gate shut, the operator setsthe foot of the gate stay 3 into the loop 10 in the osition shown inFig. 1; then swings the ball 11 over the top of that stay, and into ahorizontal ositlon; and tthen turns the long arm, or andle lg of ,thebell-crank lever to the vertical position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. whereit is stopped by block 21. The top of the stay 3 is drawn forciblytoward the post 1 by the ball 11, during this movementof the bell-cranklever, and is held by the bail securely 1n the pgsition to which it isso drawn: whilethe ttom of that stay is held in position by the loop 10.Thus the gate is p aced under a degree of ion itudinal tensionpredetermined by the a justmentof the pivots 19 int-he selected bearings18 and by the adjustment of the' loop 10. For the purpose of taking upslack and maintaining that tension, these pivots are easily changed fromone pair of these hearings to another, when the fastener is not inactual usef To unfasten the gate, the handle of the bent lever 12 isturned by hand in the opposite direction, as shown by broken lines inFig. 4, and the bail 11, which is thereby relieved of tension, is turnedby hand 05 and away from stay The latter is then lifted by hand out ofloop 10. Then the ate collapses, and is readily carried to one si e ofthe gateway.

I claim as'my invention l. A gate fastener, comprising a bifurcatedbell-crank lever having a normally dependent long armand having twoconnected parallel short arms perforated with engage ment holes alinedin pairs unequally dis tant from the fulcrum of that lever, a piv otalbolt by which said bifurcated lever is fulcrumed astride the top of avertical gate post, a U-shaped elastic bail having inturned alining endsfor adjustment as pivots in said airs of alined holes selectively andadapts to be swung over the top of an adjacent gate stay, and aprotecting stop block rejecting from said gate post along the si e ofsaid position.

2. A ate fastener, comprising a bifurcated bell-crank lever of less thanninety degrees, having a normally dependent long long arm in itsdependent- V arm and havingtwo parallel short arms perforated withengagement holes in alinement in pairs unequally distant from thefulcrum of that lever, a pivoting bolt on which said bifurcated lever isfulcrumed astraddle the top of a gate post, an elastic A bail havinginturned alining ends for insertion selectively in said pairs of alinedengagement. holes and adapted to engage the top of an adjacent gatestay, and a vertically arranged stop block projecting from said gatepost and adapted to engage side by side the said long arm of the leverin its dependent position.

and having two short arms perforated with pivot holes alincd in pairsunequally distant from the fulcrum of said lever, a pivotal bolt onwhich said lever is fulcrumed astride the top of a vertically arrangedgate post, an elastic bail having inturned alining ends to be sprungalternatively into "said pairs of alined pivot holes and adapted to loopthe top of an adjacent gate stay, and a loop for the foot of said stay,in combination with a stop block arranged vertically along the side ofsaid gate post in a position to engage side by side the free end and themiddle portion of said long arm when the latter is stopped in itsnormally vertical posit-ion. y

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my signathrc in the presence of two\vitncsscs. THEODORE VVADLElGll.

\Vitnesses:

lViLLAnD EDDY, 'IHos. F. PAYTON.

atmfastencr, comprising a bifur' cated br ll-crank lever having a longarm

